This post originally appeared on the website of our Master Trainer, Nick Miller. For more of Nick’s daily training insights, visit nicktmiller.com

All mammals depend on some level of impulse control. In order for humans to survive and thrive in our complex social organization, we are programmed to refuse some of the choices that are offered to us in any given situation. Laws and morals have been put in place to promote the right type of choices, and protect other humans from the wrong type of choices. We can, of course, debate on whether or not these choices are right or wrong because of innate universal truths, or if they are subjective to our time, location and species.

Nature seems to only be concerned with survival.

Dogs are programmed no differently. Impulse control is necessary for their survival. A wild dog who will be injured or killed for wandering into the territory of another dog needs to develop the self control not to travel that extra 100 yards. Does the dog approach or flee the human stranger with food? Conserve energy for the time being, or spend it immediately in order to acquire more calories? Not to mention the complex social decisions they must make within their own groups and when meeting dogs outside of their own group or family.

There are risks and benefits associated with each decision. A choice needs to be made. Impulse control is exercised.

The domesticated dog is required to learn a different set of values. Humans value different behaviors than a dog would on their own. A very simple explanation of dog training is:

To promote desired behaviors that are not natural to the dog, and decrease the undesired behaviors that are natural to the dog.

Once the dog’s basic needs are met, energy is freed up to meet these requirements of living in a human world. Learning our language is now in their self interest. We don’t teach impulse control under the precept that it is something unnatural and strange for the dog. In fact, nothing could be more natural to them.

But we do have an obligation to the dog to remember that these values are not their own. And the duty to recognize that their survival depends on learning them.